Some days you can only walk as far as your jam will let you.
Yesterday’s walk was so different, at least for the first half from Kingston to Richmond Bridge. It was a bank holiday, the weather was ideal and the whole of London seemed to be out for a walk, a stroll, a jog, a bike ride. We always seemed to be within touching distance of other people. While I appreciated that so many people were out and about, families, couples, dogs, fathers and sons, sons and their old moms, it was difficult. Difficult to walk at a steady pace. Constantly dodging bicycles. I found it…annoying, especially having often had the trail to ourselves.
Luckily the last half was much less crowded and today’s walk was much better. Lovely wide trail, almost always in the shade. Watching the river change directions in late afternoon.
The day started with an early morning run to the launderette (be there for 8:00 am). Yay. At least on the way back I got to see this guy.
We’ve met two million, six hundred and thirty two thousand, five hundred and ninety one and a half dogs. This is only the 5th cat we have seen on our entire journey (not that I am counting, says the unapologetic cat lady). Looks like my second kitty Tequila (born 1987).Free outdoor pingpong. This is what helps make a livable city.7Finally a bank that might keep Scott and Peter in funds.Our ride. Tide is out. Someone was mad at this company!
We had to go past the gelato place again this morning. There’s various small businesses housed within the arches of Kew Bridge.
Ken was enthralled at this garage housed in one of the arches under Kew Bridge. Spotless and well organized. He will keep this as a fantasy in his mind forever. (In Terry’s too)I don’t how these palms are establishing themselves on the concrete embankment.He’s moulting.Certainly a river with a different, maybe grubbier? Personality from a few days ago. That’s tidal water for you.Boiled cabbage and carrots. But offset by a delicious cheese and beef shortcrust pie.Doris stared at me with big imploring puppy dog eyes the entire time I was eating my lunch. But when I tried to take her picture, she wouldn’t even look at me. We had a great conversation with her human. This is the first time we’ve seen this sign. It is admittedly a bit of a problem once the Path hits the population centers. These are stunning. We saw so few flowers on this trip as there have been hose bans during the heat wave and drought. This derelict building turned out to be the old Budweiser brewery. Parts of it have been turned into apartments. The shadow on the river is actually the shadow of an airplane approaching its landing at Heathrow. Watch the video below until the end (its only 22 seconds) to watch it. Throwing rocks in the river… I managed to capture the splash. I couldn’t tell what this was at first but realized it was a pile of baby Egyptian goslings. Mom and dad were nearby. See below. These four puppers were perfectly posed on the steps. The owner and I both pulled out our phones at the same time to get a photo – and the little rats all walked away. Should I put a polka dotted cow on my deck? I hate to (but must) admit these short-legged guys kept passing us! Such cool fungi on these old tree stumps. This poor tree still has its identification tag on it. Silver tag. The tide is starting to come in – I’m not sure what these geese and crow were picking at. Hammersmith BridgeI was struck by these two men sitting on separate benches staring at their phones. Why not share the bench and say hello? We look like we still like each other! We are heading to the Blue Anchor Pub. Ken and I enjoy watching British detective shows and just finished watching the full 12 seasons of New Tricks a few days before we left. In the final season the main characters often gathered at The Blue Anchor. It’s probably the main reason why I booked our hotel base in Hammersmith. A Chinook. One of only two living snails we saw. Usually we would see hundreds. Peter picked up a lot of shells. I guess they just could not survive the drought. What a great idea! Across the aisle from IKEA, which is not a separate big box store but part of a shopping center. IKEA food vending machine. What a cute little Volkswagen, just like my 1988 Westy.
